Steven Jackson Injury: Why Even Return of Star RB Won't Save the Rams

St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson sat out practice once again on Wednesday with a right quad injury.

Head coach Steve Spagnuolo admitted that he is unsure if his star ball-carrier will be available for Sunday's matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Even if Jackson does return, it's unlikely the Rams can make much noise this season after such a tough start.

The Rams lost to the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 31-13 in Week 1, which was understandable. However, on Monday night, they dropped a 28-16 contest against the New York Giants, a team so banged up they (allegedly) resorted to faking injuries to slow down the Rams' attack.

St. Louis should have been able to handle the Giants regardless of tactics. The fact that they couldn't get by the G-Men doesn't bode well for the rest of the season.

Even if Jackson does return this weekend, he probably won't be at 100 percent. Either way, it probably won't matter much. The Rams face the Ravens, who boast one of the NFL's fiercest run defenses. After facing Pittsburgh and Tennessee—teams that typically boast terrific rushing offenses—the Ravens have given up just 70 yards rushing per game.

Without Jackson and a viable running attack, the Rams look poised to drop to 0-3. After that, they face the (currently) 2-0 Washington Redskins before hitting the bye week. An 0-4 start would almost surely sink St. Louis this season.

Yes, the NFC West is a very weak conference, but the Arizona Cardinals look like a team that could at least reach 9-7. An 0-3 or 0-4 start for the Rams would be disastrous for their playoff hopes.

The Rams are currently allowing an NFL-worst 177.5 rushing yards per game. That needs to be fixed immediately if they hope to turn things around. Though the defense is only giving up 185.5 passing yards per game (sixth in the NFL), giving up that many yards on the ground allows opposing teams to control the clock and the game.

With or without Jackson, Sam Bradford can only do so much with the offense. The key to the Rams turning their season around will come defensively.

It won't matter if their Pro Bowl running back returns if they can't stop the run themselves.